As per estimates, over 800,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with liver cancer every year. The condition can lead to several symptoms, like abdominal discomfort and a loss of appetite, affecting the patient’s quality of life. But the good news is that liver cancer can be treated and even cured if diagnosed early. Hence, individuals should visit a healthcare expert immediately when they experience the signs. This post discusses the condition’s causes, symptoms, and management options.

Causes
Cirrhosis, or scars on the liver, is the most common cause of liver cancer. However, not everyone with cirrhosis develops the condition. The other important causes and risk factors are:

Chronic infections
Hepatitis B and C are the most common infections affecting the liver. Many affected by these viruses are at risk of developing liver cancer. These infections usually progress to cirrhosis before causing cancer. People with co-infections of hepatitis B and C have a higher risk.

Inherited diseases
Hemochromatosis, which causes higher iron deposits in the body’s organs, including the liver, can lead to cancer. Wilson’s disease, caused by abnormal copper accumulation in the liver, can also increase one’s risk.

Aflatoxin B1 exposure
Exposure to aflatoxin B1, a poisonous fungus, increases the risk of liver cancer. This fungus can contaminate foods like groundnuts, rice, and maze during harvest.

Signs and symptoms
Patients may not have symptoms in the early stages. Even if discomforts occur, they mimic the signs of other diseases, so one may fail to notice them. The following are a few indicators of the condition:

Jaundice
Itchy skin
Dark colored urine
Pale stools
Exhaustion
Fever
Lump in the right abdomen
Pain in the right shoulder
Indigestion
Feeling sated after eating little

Liver cancer is categorized into three main types. When cells in the liver become cancerous, or if the cancer begins in the liver, it is called primary liver cancer. If the cancer has spread to the liver from other body parts, it is secondary liver cancer. The third type is a benign tumor that grows in the liver but does not spread to nearby tissues. The symptoms listed above are common in all three types.

Common treatment approaches
A team of specialist doctors and surgeons develops a treatment plan based on the type and stage of cancer, the patient’s age and overall health, possible side effects, and the probability of curing the disease. The most common treatment approaches for liver cancer include:

Surgery
Doctors may perform surgeries to remove part of the liver if there is just one tumor and the cancer has not spread to nearby tissues. They may also consider liver transplants for patients whose tumors cannot be removed by surgery or if the liver has undergone extensive damage.

Ablation and embolism
Ablation is a procedure where doctors insert a probe into the tumor and treat it. Doctors use ablation if the tumors are about an inch. An embolism is performed for larger tumors, where experts administer treatments into the liver to block blood flow to the tumor.

Radiation therapy
Doctors use radiation therapy for cancer that cannot be treated using surgery, ablation, or embolization and if it has spread to other body parts.

Chemotherapy and targeted therapy
In these procedures, treatments are administered to target and destroy cancer cells.

Immunotherapy
In this therapy, doctors administer treatments that stimulate the patient’s immune system and help it fight the disease.